The map above shows California and Minnesota side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
California vs Minnesota Geography
Land area
- California has a land area of 155,859 square miles (403,673 km²), while Minnesota has 79,632 square miles (206,245 km²).
- California's land area is 2.0 times (96%) larger than Minnesota's.
Total area
- California: 163,694 square miles (423,965 km²) vs Minnesota: 86,943 square miles (225,182 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- California's total area is 1.9 times (88%) larger than Minnesota's.
Length
- California is 761 miles (1,224 km) long from north to south; Minnesota is 408 miles (657 km).
- California's north-south length is 1.9 times (87%) longer than Minnesota's.
Width
- California spans 706 miles (1,137 km) east to west; Minnesota spans 360 miles (580 km).
- California's east-west width is 2.0 times (96%) wider than Minnesota's.
Highest point
- California's highest point is Mount Whitney at 14,484 feet (4,415 m); Minnesota's is Eagle Mountain at 2,292 feet (699 m).
- Mount Whitney is 12,192 feet higher than Eagle Mountain.
Lowest point
- California's lowest point is Death Valley at -279 feet; Minnesota's is Lake Superior at 601 feet.
- California's lowest point is 880 feet lower.
California vs Minnesota Population and History
Population
- California has a population of 39,431,263 (2024), while Minnesota has 5,793,151 (2024).
- California's population is 6.8 times (581%) larger than Minnesota's.
Population density
- California: 253.0 people per square mile vs Minnesota: 72.7.
- California's population density is 3.5 times (248%) higher than Minnesota's.
Biggest city
- California's biggest city is Los Angeles with 3,878,704 people; Minnesota's is Minneapolis with 428,579.
- Los Angeles' population is 9.1 times (805%) larger than Minneapolis'.
Largest metro area
- California's largest metropolitan area is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (12,927,614 people) vs Minnesota's Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (3,757,952).
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area's population is 3.4 times (244%) larger than Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area's.
History
- California: Admitted to the Union on September 9, 1850, as the 31st state.
- Minnesota: Admitted to the Union on May 11, 1858, as the 32nd state.
- In its current form, California is the older of the two by 8 years.
California vs Minnesota Economy
GDP
- California's GDP is $4,048.1 billion (2024) vs Minnesota's $507.7 billion.
- California's economic output is 8.0 times (697%) larger than Minnesota's.
GDP per capita
- California: $102,662 per person vs Minnesota: $87,636.
- California's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (17%) higher than Minnesota's.
Average income
- California: $86,232 vs Minnesota: $75,603 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- California's average income is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Minnesota's.
California vs Minnesota Counties
Number of counties
- California has 58 counties, while Minnesota has 87.
- Minnesota's county count is 1.5 times (50%) higher than California's.
Biggest county by area
- California's largest county is San Bernardino County at 20,068 square miles; Minnesota's is St. Louis County at 6,248 square miles.
- San Bernardino County's land area is 3.2 times (221%) larger than St. Louis County's.
Smallest county by area
- California: San Francisco County (47 sq mi) vs Minnesota: Ramsey County (152 sq mi).
- Ramsey County's land area is 3.3 times (226%) larger than San Francisco County's.
Most populous county
- California: Los Angeles County (9,757,179 people) vs Minnesota: Hennepin County (1,273,334 people).
- Los Angeles County's population is 7.7 times (666%) larger than Hennepin County's.
Least populous county
- California: Alpine County (1,099 people) vs Minnesota: Traverse County (3,134 people).
- Traverse County's population is 2.9 times (185%) larger than Alpine County's.
Richest county
- California: Marin County ($190,891 per capita income) vs Minnesota: Hennepin County ($100,352).
- Marin County's income is 1.9 times (90%) richer than Hennepin County's.
Poorest county
- California: Trinity County ($42,191 per capita income) vs Minnesota: Pine County ($48,677).
- Pine County's income is 1.2 times (15%) richer than Trinity County's.
California vs Minnesota Taxes
State income tax
- California has a top income tax rate of 13.3%, while Minnesota has a top income tax rate of 9.85%.
- California's top rate is 3.45 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- California: 0.71% effective rate vs Minnesota: 1.02% of home value per year.
- Minnesota's rate is 0.31 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- California: 9.03% combined state and average local rate vs Minnesota: 8.14%.
- California's combined rate is 0.89 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
California official website · Minnesota official website
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More Size Comparisons
All California size comparisons · All Minnesota size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.